Upcoming Events
2026 Summer Reunions – Recall, Reclaim & Return
This upcoming summer there are a number of events scheduled for our Brotherhood to “Recall, Reclaim, & Return”. This phrase is meant to help our Brotherhood reengage with each other. Please strongly consider attending one or more of these events. And as additional information about the events becomes available it will be updated here. For questions about the events, please reach out to Gary Klug – klughihamp@tm.net (712-202-4461)
June 5, 2026 – Ziegler Winery / W3953 Winnebago Heights Malone, WI – 3:00 PM / Band-5-8 / Cash bar / Food Available for purchase Kerry & Barb Henning 920-286-0610
June 23, 2026 – Kestrel Golf Course / 900 Avalon Rd, Columbus, WI – Golf early afternoon by RSVP / 4pm Heavy hors d’oeuvres
John Blaska-608-358-5580 / Jeff Blaska 608-628-0197 / Dave Ward 920-723-1211
July 11, 2026 – Donnelly Ranch / 9944 North Wallin Rd, Edgerton, WI – 1:00 PM / Refreshments and ‘lots of food’ & Family Friendly
Brian Donnelly 608-201-9406 / Bob Janes-608-490-1194
July 15, 2026 – Older AGR Fellows Group / Brigham Park, 3160 Co. F, Blue Mounds, WI – 1:00 PM / Potluck Picnic / Meat provided
Ron Goplin 608-206-1987
July 26, 2026 – Jonamac Orchard / 19412 Shabbona Rd Malta, IL – 1:00 PM / Food and Refreshments / Bring the family
Kevin McArtor 815-761-8996 / Mike Martz 815-751-0519
August 1, 2026 – The North Barn / 2137 Pine Grove Rd. Platteville, WI – 1:00 PM / Food and Refreshments / Bring the family
Mike North 608-778-0338 / Scott Laufenberg 608-575-6189
50th Beta Gamma AgFest – Friday, September 18, 2026
Please plan to attend the 2026 50th Beta Gamma AgFest at the Chapter House on Friday September 18th. Information about the event will be published here once available. PLAN TO ATTEND!
55th Anniversary Celebration – Saturday, March 12 – 13, 2027
Brothers, mark your calendars! We’re excited to announce that the 55th Beta Gamma-Alpha Gamma Rho Anniversary will be held on Saturday, March 13th, 2027 in Platteville, Wisconsin! It’ll be a great time to reconnect with your fellow brothers, reminisce about the good old days and see how the chapter is thriving. Platteville holds a special place in our AGR history, and we can’t wait to gather there once again. Start making plans to join us for this milestone reunion. We look forward to seeing you in Platteville!
Friday March 12, 2027 – Slices and Stories @ Steve’s Pizza – Time TBD
Saturday March 13, 2027 – Gather, Graze, & Reminisce – Russell Hall 10 am – 4:00 pm (see additional information below)
Saturday March 13, 2027 – AGR Chapter House Tours – Saturday Afternoon
Saturday March 13, 2027 – Alumni 55th Gala Dinner – Velzy Center UWP 6:00 pm
Saturday March 13, 2027 – Gather, Graze, & Reminisce – Russell Hall 10 am – 4:00 pm
As part of the 55th Founders Day Celebration, AGR alumni, family, friends, and future Pioneers are invited to a new Saturday gathering designed to be relaxed, welcoming, free, and meaningful.
Gather, Graze, and Reminisce will be held Saturday, March 13, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Russell Hall. This free event is being planned as a casual morning-and-afternoon complement – or alternative – to the formal evening banquet. Guests are welcome to come and go as they wish, enjoy snacks and non-alcoholic beverages throughout the day, share lunch beginning at noon, visit with old friends, meet new ones, and use Russell Hall as a comfortable basecamp for exploring campus.
This gathering is meant for AGR alumni and their invited family, friends, and guests. It gives young families an easy and inexpensive way to bring children, grandchildren, and students they know to Platteville without adding banquet, hotel, or major travel costs to the family budget. It also gives senior alumni a daylight-hours option that allows them to travel safely, enjoy the company of longtime friends, and participate in the celebration without needing to stay overnight. For those attending both Friday and Saturday evening events, it provides a warm and useful place to gather during the open hours between scheduled activities.
A major feature of the day will be walking tours, beginning with Russell Hall and its laboratories, many of which have undergone tremendous remodeling, reinvention, and modernization in recent years. Additional walking tours are being planned to include selected engineering buildings, the Markee Pioneer Student Center, the athletic and recreation complex, and newer residence halls. For alumni, these tours will provide a chance to see how much campus has changed. For students, they may provide something even more important: a firsthand look at the facilities, equipment, and learning environments that support hands-on, technical, non-redundant education – the kind of education that will continue to matter, and likely grow in value, in the age of artificial intelligence. As AI reshapes many traditional office and information-based jobs, students who learn to combine technical knowledge, hands-on skill, sound judgment, and practical problem-solving will be especially well prepared for durable, high-value careers in the physical world.
Russell Hall will serve as the day’s central gathering point, the main tour site, and the location of the AGR annual meeting. When members step away to attend the annual meeting down the hall, their guests can continue to enjoy food and conversation, relax, play cards, take part in casual activities, join others for campus tours, or simply reconnect with the AGR family.
There is no charge to attend. To help with food planning, guests are asked to provide a head count in
advance.
Participation in other Founders Day weekend activities is not required. Whether you are attending the full weekend celebration, coming back to campus for only a few hours, bringing your family to Platteville for the first time, or helping introduce a young person you know to the opportunities available at UW-Platteville, Gather, Graze, and Reminisce is meant for you.
Come when you can. Stay as long as you like. Bring your family. Bring your memories. Bring a potential Pioneer. Help us celebrate AGR’s past while opening a door for the next generation.
Latest News
Alumni Board Newest Members – Welcome Rich Grulke and Dakota James
Rich Grulke – #343
Originally from Mayville WI, graduated from UWP in 1991 with a B.S. in Soil and Crop Science and a minor in Horticulture. He spent a year working on 2 farms in Australia in 1988. He recently retired from Seneca Foods Corporation ( a private label vegetable company with labels such as such as Green Giant and Libby’s) after 34 years and two summers. He was a field representative during this time and the last seven years of his career included being a Pest Control Supervisor. He and his wife, Terri live on a farmette near Beaver Dam, WI and have a daughter- Emma. He enjoys raising a few beef cattle, row crop farming, woodworking and travel. He has built cabinets, custom furniture and been involved in extensive remodeling and finish carpentry projects.
He has served on his church Board of Directors as the property and grounds manager for the past 15 years. He served as general leader of his local 4-H club for 10 years and is involved in Dodge County Leaders Association.
Rich is happy to be back on the board for a second term and looking forward to giving back to the fraternity. He currently serves on Beta Gamma’s scholarship committee.
Dakota James – #762
Was initiated in the Fall of 2014 in the Gamma Upsilon class. He graduated in the Spring of 2018 from UW-Platteville with an Ag Business degree and a minor in Soil and Crop Sciences. After graduation, he moved to Chippewa Falls WI, where he worked in agronomy sales.
Dakota currently lives just outside of his hometown of Mineral Point WI where he is currently employed by Nutrien Ag Solutions.
In his free time Dakota enjoys helping at his family’s beef farm, hunting out on his land,
and coaching high school baseball in the Spring for Mineral Point High School.
He is looking forward to giving back to AGR and supporting the undergrads and alumni the best he can.
Mike and Lynn Martz: Partners from the start – FarmProgress.com – 3-3-26
These 2026 Prairie Farmer Master Farmers from Maple Park, Ill., exemplify teamwork and innovation, building a thriving farm operation rooted in family, faith and a commitment to advancing Illinois agriculture and conservation efforts.
PARTNERS: “I way over-married,” Mike Martz said of his wife, Lynn. “There isn’t anything she won’t tackle. In 1996, when she had to take over the grain operation, she said ‘I’ll do it.’ When we were short a semi driver, she said ‘I’ll go get a CDL and I’ll do it.’ She’s just incredible.”
Read the entire article by clicking the linked title. Great personal & Platteville AGR story!
2026 Undergraduate Executive Team
Congratulations to our newly elected officer team for the upcoming year!
VNR Recruitment- Kurt Zimmerman
VNR Membership Development- Sam Martin
VNR Alumni Relations- Tyce Bettenhausen
VNR Finance- Payton Bunger
VNR Planning- Derek Schwartzlow
VNR Operations- Jonas Jandrin
VNR Scholarship- Braden Rogers
VNR Activities- Owen Trone
Public Relations- Jack Tarnutzer
Provisions- Sam Wolf and Tony Miller
Alpha Gamma Rho Scholarship Fund
The Beta Gamma Alumni Board is pleased to announce that the Fund Raising Committee has engaged with the UW-Platteville Foundation to establish the “Alpha Gamma Rho Scholarship Fund” at UWP. Now those interested in making a contribution can support both UWP and Beta Gamma AGR by donating to this fund.
The Platteville Foundation is in the midst of their fall campaign and student volunteers are making calls for the foundation requesting contributions. If you choose to make a gift to UWP now or at another time you have the option to direct your gift to the AGR Scholarship Fund.
The scholarships generated by this new fund held at UW-Platteville along with the Beta Gamma and Dennis Valstad Scholarships funds held at National AGR will enable us to attract more quality young men to join AGR and further to our mission of “Making Better Men. Please consider directing your gift to these scholarship funds when making a gift to either UWP or National AGR.
Fraternally,
Beta Gamma Fundraising Committee
Ken Gibson, Scott Laufenberg, Brian Donnely, Jay Long, Michael Long, Dave Ward, Bob Janes, Ken Fiedler, Jeff Bode